Nut-lock.



No. 738,539.l PATENTBD SEPT. 8, 1903.

, I. W. HOFFMAN k P. K'. EBERSOLE.

NUTMLOG'K.

Anmcmzon Hmm 1.53.21, 190s. No uoDEL.

No. '73s, sse.

UNITED STATES? -Patented September 8, 1903;.

PATENT OFFICE.

ISAAC W. HOFFMAN AND PETER K. EBERSOLE, OF ELIZABETIITOWN, PENNSYLVANIA.

NUT-LOCK.

PECIFIATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 738,539, dated september s, 190e.

Application led March 27, 1903. Serial No. 149,812. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, ISAAC W. HOFFMAN and PETER K. EBERsoLE, citizens of the United States, residing at Elizabethtown, in the county of Lancaster and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Nut-Locks; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in a nut-lock of that class especially adapted to the securing of the nuts on the bolts of railwayrail joints in which a plate or strap with side notches or recesses therein is placed over the nuts, so that they will lie or engage in said notches or recesses,preventing said nuts from turning; but the invention relates more particularly to the means provided for removably securing said plate or strap in nut-locking position.

The object of the invention is to provide the nut-locking plate or strap with springactuated bolts, whereby said plate or strap will be securely held input-locking position, and to be removed from said position when said nuts will have to bel either tightened, loosened, or removed; and a further object of the invention is to extend the scope ot that patented to Peter K. Ebersole in No. '716,395 0n December 23, 1902.

The elements of the invention will severally and at large appear in the following description, and they will be separately or comon the line o: a: in Fig. 1 viewed from the right; Fig. 5, a cross-sectional plan, longitudinally arranged, of the portion below the line y y in Fig. 3. Figs. 6 and 7 are enlarged sectional plans, centrally taken, of the left and right hand end portions of the locking-plate or strap, showing the securing-bolts in locked positions with an unlocking-tool in place at the outer end of each bolt; and Figs. 6a and 7at similar plans of the same portions, show-.

ing said bolts in unlocked positions.

In the drawings, A designates the contiguous ends of two railway-rails; A', the lishplates placed against the webs of said rails and covering their bases; A2, the bolts passed through the fish-plates and rail-webs, and A3 the nutson the threaded end of said bolts and screwed home onto the adjacent fishplate, thus completing the usual rail-joint. Four bolts are here shown; but this number is not limited.

Thus far nothing new has been shown or disclosed; but one object of this invention is to provide simple and secure locking means preventing the nuts from turning on their bolts; and a second object of the invention is to removably secure said locking means.

First, then, to prevent the nuts from turning on their respective bolt ends a plate or metal strap B of the required dimensions is .provided/through Aits body with notches or recesses@ adapted to engage on or about said nuts, said strap lying close to or engaging against the forward surface of the adjacent sh-plate and having its ends b b2 projecting beyond the extremities of said shplate, said ends to support the securing and releasing bolts with their springs. The righthand end h', beingin prolongation ofthe body of said strap, has at its outerextremity an abrupt olfset or rearwardly-extending perpendicularwall b3, the rearward edge thereof contacting with the railweb and having therein a circular bearing-orifice h4, while at a prescribed distance from the right-hand end of the fish-plate, on the inner surface of this end b', is arranged a staple b5, provided with an angular aperture b(s and rigidly secured in place, as by being riveted to the strap. At a prescribed distance from the left-hand end of the'tish-plate, in the left-hand end p0rtion b2 of the strap, is formed a rearwardlyextending perpendicular offset or wall D7, the

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rearward edge thereof contacting with the rail-web, along which it extends a prescribed distance and thence forwardly in a perpendicular wall b8,having therein a circular b earing-orifice b9, while the wall 197 is provided with an angular bearing-aperture 1910. Between the staple b5 and the wall 57 and the adjacent extremities of the fish-plate are prescribed recesses b b, constituting clearancespaces for the head ends of bolts yet to be described, said staple b5, with the walls b3, 57, and bs through their bearings,supporting said bolts. Y

Through the bearings of the extensions b b2 of the strap B are mounted bolts C C', exactly similar in form but oppositely disposed, having angular heads c, respectively engaging in the apertures bs blo, the former of the staple b5 and the latter of the Wall 57, said heads having side projections c to engage against the rail-web, with their forward ends c2 reduced to engage in the recesses or hollows of the fish-plate and their rearward ends in prolongation of the heads provided with cylindrical stems c3, respectively engaging in the orifices b4 b9 of the walls b3 bs, while on said stems are mounted springs C2, with their forward ends engaging against said heads and their rearward ends against said end walls b3 68. Said bolts through the resiliency of said springs are held forwardly in place or the locking-strap B secured in position. At prescribed points passing through said heads are pins c4, forming side stops, which engaging against the staple b5 or the wall 57 prevent the further forward progress of the bolts as against the resiliency of said springs, and at prescribed points in' the forward sides of said'stems are formed notches c5, to be engaged by the edges of the end walls within said orifices b4 b9, holding the bolts against the resiliency of the springs in open or unlocked position, while outside of the end walls b3 bs the stems are provided sidewise therethrough with pins c6, the projecting ends of which by being engaged by the bifurcated ends of a tool C3 serve to withdraw said bolts and bring said notches c5 into engagement with said wall edges; but any other suitable tool may be used for withdrawing said bolts.

It will here be remarked that the ends b b2 of the locking-strap B are herein shown and described to differ in their construction, the one, b', covering the bolt and spring supported thereby, and the other, b2, leaving them uncovered; but in practice either form or construction of these ends may be used without changing the character or departing from the spirit of the invention.

The invention having thus been ascertained and describedand the manner in which it is performed fully shown and set forth, what is considered new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is-' l. In a nut-lock of the character described,a strap with nut-engaging recesses in its body and having extended ends with oset shoulders having apertures and orifices therein, and headed bolts seated in said apertures and orifices, with springs engaging against the bolt-heads and the outer offset shoulders to removably secure said strap in position, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

2. In a nut-lock of the character described,a strap with nut-engaging recesses in the body thereof, and having extended ends with boltseating apertures and orices in said ends, and bolts movably seated in said apertures and oriiices,vwith springs provided to forwardly press said bolts, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

3. In a nut-lock of the character described,a strap with nut-holding recesses in its body and having extended ends with angular apertures in their forward portions and circular orifices in their rearward portions, bolts having angular heads seated in said VVapertures and cylindrical stems seated in said orifices, said bolts movable back and forth, with springs mounted on said stems and engaging between said heads and the end walls of said rearward portions to forwardly press said bolts, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

4. In a nut-lock of the character described,a strap with nut-engaging recesses in its body and having extended ends, with angular apertures at their inner portions and perpendicular walls with circular orifices therein at their outer ends, bolts having angular heads movable back and forth in said apertures, and stems projecting from the heads and movable back and forth in said orifices, with springs mounted on said stems and engaging between said heads and said outer end walls, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

5. In a nut-lock of the character described,a strap with nut-engaging recesses in its body ICO IIO

and having end extensions with angular apertures in their forward portions and perpendicular walls having circular orifices therein at their rearward ends, with bolts having angular heads seated in said apertures and projecting stems seated in said orifices, said bolts movable back and forth, with springs on the stems and engaging between said heads and walls, and with notches thereinto be engaged by the edges of said walls within saidorifices, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

ISAAC W. HOFFMAN. PETER K. EBERSOLE. Witnesses:

FRED. P. MEN'rzEI, HARVEY B. LUTZ. 

